1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to closed-circuit television, specifically to an improved means, when backing, for a driver of a tractor/trialer rig, or other motor vehicle, to see what is to the rear when the unaided view is obstructed.
2. Description of Prior Art
I was an adjuster for an independent claims service that specialized in on-the-scene accident investigations for motor freight lines that were self-insured; and the most common accident occurred when a tractor/trailer rig was being backed.
When the trailer is the rectangular-box type, the driver can never see what is directly behind his trailer. And much of the time, when backing, he cannot see even in the vicinity of the rear of his trailer, because his tractor is pointed in one direction, and the trailer is pointed in another.
Such manuevering is necessary to get a joined tractor/trailer from the street into a driveway, and then steered so that the rear of the trailer stops just next to a loading dock, or overhead door.
To illustrate the problem, let me describe briefly the varieties of backing accidents that happen repeatedly:
1. Backing into a narrow bay at a loading dock crowded with other rigs, the driver misjudges an angle, and the rear corner of his trailer slashes a gash in the side of a refrigerated trailer loaded with perishables.
2. Backing in a driveway up to an overhead door, a rear corner of the trailer hits the side metal groove in which the wheels of the overhead door travel. The door cannot be lowered. A security problem results.
3. A driver backs up, misjudges, and the rear corner of the trailer hits the overhead door side groove so hard the adjacent brick wall tumbles in. Big security problem. Rain can come in and damage inventory.
4. A driver is following traffic into a busy intersection. A car up ahead stalls or stops. The light changes red. The tractor is into the intersection and is blocking crossing traffic. The driver backs up to get out of the intersection. He backs into a car he did not know was there. The driver of the car says her neck hurts.
5. A fairly new driver goes to a high-rise building of which he is not familiar. He is supposed to make a delivery to a place in the basement. The driver, with long trailer in tow, goes down the ramp toward the basement. At the bottom, above the portal for entrance is a sign that says, Clearance 13 feet. His tractor/trailer has a height of 13 ft. 5 in. He has no choice but to back up the long incline. He does not have a clue as to whether there is a car behind him. He hits a Jeep Grand Cherokee, whose driver is a V.I.P.
6. An experienced driver comes to the address he is seeking. The layout is as follows: A company building near the front. Parking spaces in front. Parking spaces on the extreme side. A driveway that passes in between the main building and side parking spaces. Way in the back, about 100 yards from the street, is a building where truck deliveries are made.
At lunch hour, and when the shift ends, people come out of the main building and get in their cars. All day long salesmen drive up and park. Or other salesmen get in their cars and leave.
Our experienced driver has to run this gauntlet to back up 100 yards from the street. Is it any wonder he hits a car he did not know was going to be in his path?
The driver, whose safety record is now marred, tells me in anguish, “I am backing blind!”
Ideally, there should be someone available at a delivery or pickup site who will personally guide the truck driver in backing up, but in practice such person often is not available; and when a driver goes to hunt such a person, he takes a longer time to make a delivery or pickup.
Consequences of “Backing Blind”:
1. Lost profits. If a driver could back in with no strain, he could make more deliveries in a given time and increase the profit of his employer.
2. Lower morale among drivers, who try to keep good driving records, then get tagged for causing an accident when the driver could not see when he was backing.
3. High yearly costs of settling claims that are due to backing accidents.
4. Delays. At the minimum, a backing accident causes a substantial delay, while the driver waits for an adjuster to come to the scene and gather information. Three hours loss of time in making deliveries is average.
5. Difficulty of qualifying drivers. Truck companies have a need for qualified drivers. The hardest part of qualifying is being able to back an 18-wheeler without hitting something. Make backing easier, more good drivers could qualify for jobs.
Closed Circuit Television:
I know of closed circuit television systems being used in backing of motor homes and tour buses, but these systems are not being used by major motor freight lines for a reason, which I will explain shortly.
First, let's state what the essentials are of a closed circuit television system: There is a need for a monitor and a video camera, and a video coaxial cable to connect them, and a power source.
I saw a motor home, in a sales lot, that had a closed circuit television system for backing. At the top of the motor home, at the very rear, was a video camera about 6 inches wide and about 4½ inches tall on its mounting.
Inside the motor home a 12 inch monitor was positioned on passenger side, on the side wall, just behind the passenger door.
To see the monitor, the driver of the motor home would have to turn 135 degrees to his right. The picture he saw was an exact image of the picture the camera, on the roof, was taking.
The problem with this set-up for use in a motor-freight tractor/trailer rig is two-fold:
First, the camera: National Electrical Codes state that electrical wires or telephone wires should be at least 13 ft. 6 in above the pavement where vehicles travel. Therefore, rectangular box trailers are made to barely get under 13 ft. 6 in. A bulky video camera on top of a motor-freight trailer is going to get knocked off, by an overhead wire, the top of an underpass, or the top of the entrance into the basement of a building.
But if the video camera is put down lower, off the roof, and on about the level of a loading dock platform, where its view would be ideal for the truck driver who is backing, the bulky camera within touching distance would be an invitation for vandals.
Second, the monitor: It is too bulky for the confines of a motor-freight tractor. Behind the inside of the passenger door there is no room to mount a bulky 12-inch monitor with a cathode-ray-picture tube.
One sees 7 inch and 5 inch TV monitors, with cathode-ray-picture tube, in stores. They still have a large protruberance in back. In the confines of a motor-fright tractor cab there is not any suitable place to put such a device. The cathode-ray tube and the vibrations inherent in a heavy-duty tractor cab give one doubts about reliability.